In the city with Peter Nilsson

Ansley Rubinstein '06

English teacher Peter Nilsson left Deerfield last spring to jump headfirst into a music career in New York City. He found an apartment and lived off savings during the summer. Ever since, he has focused solely on music.

Now, instead of getting up each morning to teach English class, Mr. Nilsson can go right to practicing and experimenting at the piano as part of his daily routine.

"For the first time in my life, I've had the time and motivation to play scales for an hour in the morning," he explained. "Learning classical music has been as much a part of the routine as jamming with rock, funk or jazz groups, and there's no better way to keep up the chops."

In addition to tuning his skills, Mr. Nilsson has been seeking contacts and seizing as many chances to perform as possible. "I couldn't be happier about the range of musical opportunities in the city," he said.

His first gig was accompanying a singer before the executive of Atlantic Records, a major music label.

Soon after, he played with a band at The Bitter End, an historic venue in Greenwich Village known for the artists who began their careers on its stage.

But the most bizarre and exhilarating experience he's had yet was playing in a full-on hip-hop gig. "Guests were patted down at the door, the local hip-hop radio station (Hot 97) had one of its DJs there, and the stage was commanded not by the band but by the singer, her rap backup, and a pair of pelvic-thrusting, booty-shaking dancers." recounted Mr. Nilsson.

During a conversation with the lead singer of the gig, Mr. Nilsson inquired as to what he might wear for the show. The singer, Talia Coles, said, "Pete, we gonna have to get you some ice." When he returned this statement with a quizzical look, she rephrased it: "In other words, 'bling-bling."

On separate occasions, Mr. Nilsson has co-written with a number of artists and arranged a song for a full string orchestra.

As Mr. Nilsson's musical career advances, he finds himself enlivened by the endless possibilities and challenges the music world throws at him.

As published in the October 12, 2005 issue of the Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.